Hello world! — Hallo Welt!

This is my first post on my new blog. I have been debating for a while whether I want to start one, or not, as I’m embarking on this new chapter in my life-soon to be empty nest single Mom and, hopefully, Tiny House resident.

There are so many great blogs out there, already, that have helped me so much over these last few weeks, while I started researching the Tiny House movement, and I didn’t think that the world really needed another Tiny House blog, but if nothing else, I want to write down and share my experiences along the way with my Gurlz and my friends and family here and in Germany.

As I already mentioned, I’m a single Mom to 2 beautiful girls, whom I call my “Gurlz” (thanks to my German accent), Megan, who just turned 22 two days ago, and is a full-time student at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, working on her BA in Child Psychology and Early Childhood Development, while also working full-time as a baker (with the crazy early hours that comes with), and as if that’s not enough, she recently took on an internship at a preschool in SLO. Words can’t describe how proud I am of my determined and hard-working little girl.

And then there is Leeanna (17), a high-school senior and soon to head off to Santa Barbara to study Biochem at UCSB, in hopes of attending Medical School in a few years. She will be graduating with a 4.3 GPA, despite having been working as a gymnastics coach every night and weekends since she turned 15 (she even gave up her beloved Cheerleading her Sophomore year, just so she could get a job), and for the last several months she has taken on a second job as a hostess in a brand new local restaurant. Whenever she is not at school, she is working and still maintains her awesome grades! Did I already say how proud I am of my Gurlz? ❤

We have no family on my side here in America, as I grew up in East Germany and all my family still lives there. I escaped East Germany in 1989, just one month before the Berlin Wall came down and came to America as an Au Pair to learn English in 1991. Meanwhile I have been here for 24 years (half of my life) and this has become home. But it’s not always easy without family to help or even just for support. It’s up to us 3, now, to create our own little family and grow it from here. But no matter how hard it’s been over the years, I consider being Mom to my beautiful Gurlz my biggest blessing and accomplishment.

With Megan in college and Leeanna about to head off, I find myself at a crossroads in life. I have always thought that if it wasn’t for wanting to give my Gurlz as much of a normal, stable and secure life as possible and doing whatever it took to accomplish that, I could be very happy with much, much less. I have often mentioned to them that I could be very happy and content in a hotel suite kind of setting….one room with a small kitchen, a bathroom, some sort of sitting area to read and relax and a place to sleep. What else does one need, really? So with the impending empty nest, I started researching small studios, cottages, etc. to move to after Leeanna left, and that’s when I came across the Tiny House Movement. I was immediately fascinated and dove deeper into this. For the last few weeks, whenever I wasn’t busy working on my day job (I’m blessed to be working from home with a very flexible schedule), I was researching Tiny Houses, making connections with people currently living in or planning Tiny Houses, and was even fortunate enough to visit 2 semi-local builders to actually see a couple of Tiny Houses in person.

By now I know that this is for me. This is going to be my future and also the ONLY way I will ever own my own home and not have to pay rent to someone else for the rest of my life. I’m ready to do this, now but life and the world keep throwing huge road blocks at me. However, I’m not one to give up that easily (as my history has shown), and I know that it’s just a matter of persistence and determination until I can find that loan. It won’t be a conventional loan, as banks won’t even look at me. As a single Mom just trying to keep afloat and keep a roof over our heads and food on the table, I didn’t exactly build a stellar credit history. I do, however, have an excellent rental history (something no bank even takes a second look at). For over 10 years, now, I have managed to pay $1,500 or more every month in rent just so that my Gurlz could live in the safest areas in our town and go to the best schools. We did so by doing whatever it took and making no excuses….and not once defaulted on our rent. So I KNOW that I can get a loan and be able to pay that back, because to me that means someday soon owning my own little piece of heaven, a home that, after having moved 10 times in the last 10 years, I will never have to leave behind, again. A home that is mine and I WILL do whatever it takes to attain this. It will mean finding a private investor who gets me, who gets my story and my goal and will take a chance on me and my dream. It may seem like a long shot and for now I’m running into a lot of walls, but I know it’s not impossible.

And in all this, I’m hoping to learn enough to someday be able to help another struggling single Mom make her dream of home ownership a reality, as well. It’s for these women and for everyone else who may be interested that I have decided to chronicle my journey with this blog.